9.William G. Gross — Direct
102 linesWILLIAM G. GROSS, Sworn
COURT CLERK: Have a seat.
WILLIAM G. GROSS: Good afternoon.
COURT CLERK: State your name; spell your last name for the record. Keep your voice up and speak into the mic.
WILLIAM G. GROSS: Yes, sir. Good afternoon, everyone. I'm William G. Gross. Last name is spelled G-r-o-s-s.
DIRECT EXAMINATION BY MR. CHAKRAVARTY:
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: Where do you work?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: I'm currently employed by the Boston Police Department.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: What's your rank there?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: I am the chief of police, superintendent and chief.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: Does that mean you're the No. 2 person?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: Yes, sir.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: How long have you been with the Boston Police?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: May 15th will be my 30th year, sir, so since 1985.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: What kinds of duties have you had in those years?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: Well, starting in 1985, for nine or ten years, I was a patrolman. Then I went into the Gang Unit, did five years undercover in the Drug Control Unit; two years as an academy instructor. And then I became a supervisor in Roxbury, both in uniform and plainclothes officer, as well as a duty supervisor. Then I went into the Investigative Field, the Bureau of Investigative Services, as a sergeant, sergeant detective. And then six and a half years ago, I found myself on the command staff as a deputy in charge of Zone 2. Zone 2 encompasses Roxbury, Mattapan, Mission Hill, and South Boston and Dorchester. Then I became the deputy of the Drug -- excuse me, the Gang Unit and the School Police Unit and then onto night commander as superintendent. And for the last year, I've been the superintendent-in-chief, sir.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: Back in April of 2013, were you the night commander for the Boston Police?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: Yes, sir.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: That means you were in charge of everything that happened at night?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: At night, yes.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: So during the day, were you working on April 15th?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: Yes, sir, I was.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: What was your role that day?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: My role that day was the Zone 6 commander. There were ten zones. Six were in the Back Bay. Three were in Brighton, and the tenth zone was for traffic. I was a Zone 6 commander, and that location was Audubon Circle, the Brookline town line, Boston town line, into Kenmore Square.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: Now, those ten zones, were those planned around the 117th running of the Boston Marathon?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: Yes, sir, they were.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: So what types of logistics do the Boston Police -- does the Boston Police provide for the Marathon?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: Well, there's a lot of detailed planning. Like, of course, Monday's Marathon day. But the previous Wednesday, Superintendent Evans at the time, now commissioner, we had a multijurisdictional meeting where we went over the logistics of the Marathon so -- with several police agencies, to the inclusion of state police, transit police, all local law enforcement and also the city departments, like parks and rec and licensing. So a lot of detailed planning went into the logistics of the Marathon. On the day of the Marathon, again, to go over the logistics and the responsibilities, all of the commanders, including the command staff, commissioner, superintendent and chief, deputy sergeants, lieutenants, captains, had a roll call at Morse Auditorium at B.U. at 7 a.m.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: And a roll call is a meeting where you -- amongst police personnel where you address the group, and you advise of what the state of information is?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: That's correct.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: So what happened there?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: Basically, we briefed the zone commanders, right, and their subordinates who were the supervisors, again going over logistics. Our goal there was to ensure that everyone could meet the responsibilities of providing the most efficient and effective uses of our police resources. And, again, that would be to ensure that everybody's protected that day: the citizens of Boston, the business owners, businesses, the spectators as well as the participants in the race.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: So approximately how many Boston Police personnel were assigned to work the Marathon that day?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: Approximately 840 to 43.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: Is the department somewhere around the order of 2,100 personnel?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: 2,185, yes, sir.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: So to provide security, what types of precautions did the BPD take?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: Again, we went over the logistics and the responsibilities of every zone commander to ensure that everybody under their command adhered to three of our principles when we have special events: Number 1, respectful treatment. Treat everyone as though you -- like you would want to be treated. Had a lot of visitors that day, over 27,000 runners, hundreds of thousands of folks. So just respectful treatment. Have patience. A lot of people aren't used to the Marathon. And plus all eyes are on Boston. We want to be the best that we can be. Number 2, zero tolerance for drinking in public. Zero tolerance as well for anyone that would go outside of a licensed premises with an alcoholic beverage. So you would either arrest or cite or give a verbal warning.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: Why so strict on Marathon Monday?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: Marathon Monday, quite frankly, it's a family day. It's not a day to be there partying. It's a family day. It's an international event where Boston hosts its best capability. It's a time to showcase Boston as a perfect host for that event.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: And you said there's a third principle?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: Yes. The third, be very cognizant and/or vigilant for any suspicious activities, suspicious persons or suspicious packages. And there was protocol for that as well. Isolate the package, create a 300-yard perimeter -- 300-foot perimeter, and call in your Explosive Ordinance Unit and keep everyone away.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: Does the Explosive Ordinance Unit of the Boston Police -- does it do sweeps before the Marathon?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: They did. Our roll call was at 7. So the assignment of EOD officers and canines were to sweep the area of Boylston Street where the race finishes. They were assigned to sweep that around 7:30 a.m.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: In addition to the Marathon, are there other significant events along the route of the Marathon in the city of Boston?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: Yes. That's the day as well where we -- excuse me, the Red Sox traditionally hold a morning game. It starts at, like, 11. They were playing the Tampa Bay Rays, I believe.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: How does that play into the logistics of security planning?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: Well, once the game lets out, of course, the crowd of over 30,000 adds to the masses of spectators in Kenmore Square. So it directly let's out into Kenmore Square or people will go other places as well, but mostly everyone comes onto Kenmore Square to watch the race.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: Now, that morning on April 15 of 2013, did everything go according to the plans that you had laid out?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: Yes, they did. Everything went swimmingly. Everything was -- it was a perfect day.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: What happened around 2:49 p.m.?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: 2:49 p.m., I was monitoring the Boston Police radio, Channel 1. That channel was exclusively for our event. And I heard the voice of Sergeant Detective Keeler, who I've known and worked with for years. Usually very calm on the radio, but he was literally screaming in the radio. "Stop the race. Get me everything you have. Stop the race." And then, unfortunately, other folks jumped on the radio, and his transmission was interrupted. But, again, he would come over yelling, "Give me everything you have to Boylston Street."
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: And so what was the response of the BPD?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: We sent resources. I myself, I immediately called operations, our 911 operations center, and asked, "What's going on on Boylston Street?" because I couldn't get through on the radio. And I was told by the personnel there that two explosions had taken place, and they didn't know what type of explosions at that time. So I sent any additional resources I had. It just so happened in Audubon Circle that several officers were taking a break. There's a -- it's kind of a parkway adjacent to that section of Charles River. I says, "Everybody let's go. Go to Kenmore. Get direction and go to Boylston Street." So I sent all the assets to Boylston Street. The Zone 5 commander, Superintendent Fitzgerald, also sent additional units. Those units were assigned to the Youth Violence Strike Force -- that's a tactical response unit -- and the Drug Control Unit, as a POP platoon, which means Public Order Platoon. They were also sent to Boylston Street, the finish line.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: What happened to the Marathon race itself?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: At Audubon Circle, under my command, it went on for approximately maybe 30 more minutes. And I received information from the Unified Command Center, which we call the UCC, that the explosions were believed to be bombs and to halt the race at that point at Audubon Circle where the Town of Brookline's border met Boston. So I did so with the assistance of the state police, the transit police, as well as the B.U. Police Department. We shut it down at that location.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: And then where did -- what were the priorities of the Boston Police in terms of responding to the Marathon sometime after the explosions?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: Our responsibilities were primary to the people that were hurt at the finish line. So we sent all the resources we had. Even when we ran out of ambulances, we sent our wagons and any vehicles we could to transport those that were injured. The First Responders, as well as the civilians and the businesses, helped the over 240 injured persons to safety, and that took approximately 21 or 22 minutes to do so.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: So that's the actual scenes where the explosions occurred?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: Yes, sir.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: So is that called clearing the -- those scenes? That was done --
WILLIAM G. GROSS: Yes. That was done within 21 to 22 minutes.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: After those scenes were cleared -- sorry. Strike that. I'll ask you another question. In addition to clearing the scenes, what other concerns did the BPD have in terms of what you took action for?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: Here's the actions. We had no idea who planted the bombs or who detonated them, if it was one person, if it was two persons, if it was an entire cell. So we gave the directions to be very vigilant and cognizant again of any suspicious persons, any suspicious packages. Also, that prompted us to do more EOD sweeps, explosive ordinance sweeps, especially at the location of the finish line. So we swept that entire area. And I'd like to add, sir, that -- we have a phrase called slash and tag. So if there's a suspicious package, the explosive ordinance personnel would slash the bag, looked into it. If it was deemed suspicious, they would plant a green glow stick on it. If it wasn't deemed a threat, they might mark it with white tape or some other marking. And so that's what was being done at the finish line.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: And the what you call the EOD or --
WILLIAM G. GROSS: Explosive ordinance --
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: Teams. They went out and did this?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: Yes, sir.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: What was the state of communications for the, you know, 20 or 30 minutes after the explosions?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: Tough communications. After the original transmission by Sergeant Detective Keeler, the transmissions were garbled. Then everything bottled neck. You couldn't get through. You couldn't get through on the radio, and you couldn't get through on the cell phone as well. So it took awhile for communications to resume. When somebody has a primary on the radio, they're on the scene calling out what happened and what's going on. The other people around tend to stay off the radio and let that person have the channel. So we stayed off the channel, and we just monitored. But it was tough to get through. Communications were at a bottleneck.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: Despite the communications difficulties, did you coordinate with federal, state, and local partners after the crime scene was cleared?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: Yes, sir, we did. And we teamed with -- I mean, one of the first calls we received was from the senior agent in charge, DesLauriers of the FBI; State Police Colonel Alben; also from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, MEMA; National Guard. Everybody came to Boston to help out.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: And who was in charge of the crime scene for the next couple of hours?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: The next couple of hours, under then Commissioner Ed Davis and Superintendent-in-Chief Linskey, they took command of the crime scene. And we sent in our Crime Scene Response Unit, our forensics units, and any additional personnel that we can spare from the Boston Investigative Services.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: And then at some point did that transition to another agency?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: Yes, in the evening. Probably 7:30, 7:45, the FBI took jurisdiction of the investigation.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: Were areas of Boston, around Boylston Street, cordoned off and secured for purposes of that investigation?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: Yes, sir, for a 12-block radius. We utilized Boston police officers as well as the National Guard to man the perimeter of the crime scene as well the Green Line was shut down. And those areas were also manned by National Guard, transit police, and we sent in our K-9 officers, not only to the Green Line but additionally to other MBTA stations.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: So you say the Green Line. You mean the MBTA?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: Yes.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: The T?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: The trolley line.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: The trolley?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: Yes, sir.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: In addition to that MBTA -- those closures, were there other closures in and around the city of Boston that day?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: Yes, there was. And at least the services were slowed down until we could again perform sweeps and man those stations. Again, we had no idea where the threats were coming from, if it was one person, two, a cell. We had no idea. So we manned the MBTA stations as well.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: So in addition to train traffic, do you know whether Amtrak or Massport had shut down air and other types of travel?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: Yes, sir. Everything was halted. It was a no-fly zone under the direction of the folks at Logan Airport. Everything was at a standstill until we could get more information as to where the attacks were coming from.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: Were sporting events that day canceled as well?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: The Bruins game was canceled. Again, folks, everything shut down in Boston.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: In terms of the address to the public, what was -- what did Boston Police ask from the public?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: As with any investigation where deaths occur -- as we all know, unfortunately, three people died that day on Boylston Street: Martin William Richard, Krystle Campbell and Lingzi Lu. Over 240 people were injured. Now we know over 17 amputees. We asked for the public's help. If you saw anything, you took pictures, anything, any amount of evidence -- nothing is too small -- please contact the Boston Police Department. You could call in. You could text anonymously, call in anonymously. Call us. And we also had social media resources. We had a Twitter account as well as BPD News was our blog. And that volume went from 53,000 to over 300,000 hits. So we were getting a lot of participation.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: And, in fact, did you get hours and hours of video and photos and other tips and leads from the public?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: The Boston Police Department, over the next three to four days, received several hundred calls for suspicious packages. Several people turned in video surveillance and pictures. And I would be remiss if I didn't mention the valuable, valuable resources that the businesses provided with their camera system. I believe we had over 4,000 hours of video that was turned in as evidence so that we could glean through that.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: And after the crime scene was secure and the Feds were processing it, did Boston Police continue to support the investigation and participate in other aspects of the investigation as it went forward?
WILLIAM G. GROSS: Yes, we did.
MR. CHAKRAVARTY: No further questions.
MR. BRUCK: Thank you, Chief. No questions.
THE COURT: Chief, thank you. You may step down.
WILLIAM G. GROSS: Good afternoon, your Honor.
MR. WEINREB: The government calls Kaytlin Harper.
COURT CLERK: Ma'am, over here, please. Step up to the box, if you would. Remain standing. Raise your right hand.